Chiapas: Facing police operation, adherents to the Other Campaign from San Sebastián Bachajón abandon control-post they had taken the previous day

Police operation in San Sebastián Bachajón, photo Moisés Zúñiga

In the morning of 9 April, a police operation involving some 800 state and federal officers retook the control-point at he entrance of the Agua Azul waterfalls. In light of this, some 600 campesinos from San Sebastián Bachajón, municipality of Chilón, adherents to the Other Campaign who had retaken the control-point that was taken from them two months prior by officialist groups (and handed over to the latter by the state government) decided to abandon the control-point. They stressed that they did not do so voluntarily, as claimed in the official version, but rather so as to protect themselves.

The ejidatarios of the Other Campaign noted that “With this repression the government has demonstrated its interest in developing the ecotourist center without concern for the physical integrity of people, and it has also shown the intention of the ejidal representative Francisco Guzmán to sell the land and its resources. Regardless, the principally responsible is the state and federal government that has bought-off the leaders so that they become convinced to sell the lands.”

Death-threats have also been circulated by the official side of the San Sebastián Bachajón ejido against human-rights defenders and others who visit in solidarity.